Our collaboration with Edinburgh Feminist Society last week captured a contentious and politically charged issue of neo-colonialism, capitalism, and their implications in fashion being of feminist concern. Fashion is intimately intertwined with neo-colonialism and capitalist mentalities whereby the exploitation and oppression of people, in this current model of business, is inevitable.
Fashion as we know it now was born out of exploitation, with the industry being one of the largest culprits of global capitalism and neo-colonialism. While the unfair working conditions of both adults and children has become common knowledge to our generation, the fashion industry is difficult to avoid due to our modern culture of consumerism. Furthermore, the constant exposure to advertisements and social media influencers helps to promote this demand. Our current culture of excess consumption poses serious harm to our people and our planet, thus it is a crucial topic of discussion.
Image via the Adam Smith Institute. Oliver Riley, 2017
The unjust treatment of workers both outside and within our borders is a product of the capitalist system which was designed to exploit people and resources. Within the fashion industry, there is a significant major power imbalance between capitalist brands in more developed countries and workers in developing countries. Colonial mentalities and practices continue to reign supreme in how a business operates as there is an unequal exchange of manufactured products and the oppression of workers. This current system allows for the exploitation of workers in that saving money is of the upmost priority to a brand.
The relics of our imperialist past are embedded within our modern world, including the fashion industry. The power foreign brands have over developing countries is an example of neo-colonialism, whereby they make the rules and leave little room for fair working conditions and wages. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic brought to light the harm of today’s neoliberal deregulated global economy. For example, the #PayUp movement is a response to reports of major fashion brands cancelling payments to factories which have already completed orders. Refusing to #PayUp for produced or in production orders, and offering no support to these garment communities during the pandemic, is an instance of foreign brands exploiting workers abroad.
Here, there is a sense of irony: these companies are owned by billionaires, with more money than they can spend, while workers in developing nations are left with little to no money for survival. This vast disparity in wealth is a product of capitalism which was designed to exploit marginalised groups to make as much capital as possible.
Last of the summer sales? Image via Andrei Stanescu for Getty Images
Often a response to unfair treatment to employees in the workplace is the formation of a worker’s union. However, the possibility of workers in developing countries unionising is extremely unlikely. They are discouraged from doing so as it is seen as a threat to trade with capitalist brands. If workers demand better, this may lead to foreign brands withdrawing business to find somewhere else where labour is cheaper. Workers are thus incapable of being in control of their fate. They are unable to demand better working conditions and fairer wages due to fear of job safety.
Fashion being a child of capitalism becomes a feminist concern because the oppression of women is inevitable. Women in developing countries often work in factories, making clothes for foreign brands. Companies in developed nations exploit women in developing nations, making them powerless and unable to live a safe and stable life. With the well-being of their workers not being at the forefront of the brand’s concern, women’s exploitation under this capitalist business model highlights that our current system is incompatible with feminism. This sense of white feminism which excludes Black and brown women in developing countries is one which we should not and cannot accept.
Fast fashion lives up to its name. Image by Ryan Morrison for Alamy
It’s time to hit the reset button. We need to break these colonial power structures and hold brands responsible. While there are some possible approaches we can all take, we must remember that capitalism is responsible for the exploitation of workers. We must also bear in mind that in our culture of consumerism and excess, fast fashion provides the working class with an affordable way of shopping for clothes. Capitalism forces people living on minimum wage within the UK, and the rest of the western world, to become dependent on cheap fashion. Thus, we don’t want to shame individuals for their consumption of fast fashion; rather, we should hold corporations accountable.
Here are some ideas if you want to avoid contributing to this capitalist system of exploitation in the fashion industry:
Buy pre-loved clothing
Check out your local charity shops or reclaimed vintage stores to give a new home to pre-loved items. This is a great way of avoiding fashion which exploits workers in the making. While these clothes may have originally been involved in a system of exploitation, you are not supporting these brands as you do not purchase them.
Rework old items in your wardrobe
Get creative and rework your old clothes to make them into something you’d like to wear now! If you have an item with holes or rips, fix what you have or work with the fabric you have left. This is a great way to create something that no one else has.
Looking after the clothes you have so that you can wear them again and again and again.
Make sure you are treating the items you currently have well. This will allow them to last longer, meaning you won’t have to keep replacing similar items with similar new ones.
Check out our other blog posts for more ideas!
Niamh Townsend
Edinburgh Fashion Society
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